Our little girl's hope

a little girl's faith ...

The family of about fifty altogether - children and adults - gathered in the family room. One young woman had an envelope in her hand sitting at the top of the circle of family members whose eager eyes all focused on her as if she had some great news for everyone. Well, she did. She had waited since she was a little girl for the news. It finally came.

her heritage ...

As if to enhance and promote suspense, the children started singing. And the adults joined in. The musical disharmony - consisting of flats, tone and pitch problems within the mixture of adults' and little children's voices - is ironically considered perfect big family singing. It's certainly an experiment in paradox of harmonious cacophony. And though the adults yielded and tried to adjust their voices or passively try to drown and dominate the little ones in order to acquire a more pleasing degree of harmony, the messages of the songs remained loud and succinctly evident.

With the profound, edifying and soothing reminder that "there is beauty all around when there's love at home," the dissonant voices of the little children sent an unambiguous and important message to everyone - parents and adults. The message of Love, as in "...making life a bliss complete, when there's love at home."

The young woman was teary as she listened to the songs. She sat between her mom and her grandmother excitedly clutching the white, larger - than-normal-sized envelope. On the piano towards her right was a picture of the temple on one end, and on the other, a picture of a little girl about four years old in her Sunday best. She's smiling as if she was reacting to the songs especially the one that said: 

"I hope they call me on a mission, when I have grown a foot or two. I hope by then I will be ready, to teach and preach and work as missionaries do."

The little girl in the picture was looking at everyone in the room at once. But she has now already grown a "foot or two." She is now a young woman, and she was ready to "work as missionaries do" in taking the message of the Gospel of Love to those who are ready, and waiting.

... and her divine nature

Being the youngest of seven children - and daddy's little girl - the young woman seemed to recall and remember how her sisters and brother helped her while in Primary with the songs the children were singing.

And then there was silence. She slowly stood up, fumbled the envelope a bit and then nervously and clumsily opened it. She opened the letter and started reading. She was already crying when she said - in a shaky yet firm voice - what everyone was waiting for: Billings, Montana!!  She paused for the congratulatory applause then continued to read the rest of the letter.

Natalia's hope has come true. They have called her on a mission!

(We love you Talia! Now go forth with might mind and strength in serving your Heavenly Father!)